September is National Preparedness Month, a time to highlight the threats posed by natural hazards and the importance for individuals and communities to be prepared.

Hurricane Isaac recently swept through the Gulf Coast, wildfires continue to ravage the west, and drought grips more than three quarters of the contiguous United States facing abnormally dry conditions. Natural hazards like these threaten lives and cause billions of dollars in damage every year throughout the nation. Sound science is essential for preparedness to natural hazards, guiding the best decisions to minimize their impacts.

USGS: Start with Science

The U.S. Geological Survey works with many partners to monitor, assess and conduct research on a wide range of natural hazards, providing policymakers and the public a needed understanding to enhance preparedness, response and resilience. USGS research includes earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, wildfires, floods, droughts and extreme storms.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes pose a risk to more than 165 million people in 37 states. The USGS has created and provides information tools to support earthquake loss reduction, including hazard assessments, scenarios, comprehensive real-time earthquake monitoring and public preparedness handbooks.

Imagine if doctors had time to stop delicate procedures before an earthquake. And if emergency responders had a few extra moments to gear-up, airplane landings could be postponed, trains slowed, and people could move to safer locations. The USGS and its partners are helping to provide critical seconds of notification by developing a prototype Earthquake Early Warning System in the United States.

Numerous states and countries will be participating in the next ShakeOut earthquake drill on Oct. 18, 2012. At 10:18 a.m., participants will “drop, cover and hold on.” This event offers citizens a chance to learn how to get better prepared and practice what to do when an earthquake happens in their community.

Shishaldin Volcano on Unimak Island, part of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

This is the first year an official drill is being coordinated in the Southeast United States, and you can see a full list of participating locations at the ShakeOut website. Mark your calendar and sign up your family, school, business, or organization to join as well.

Volcanoes

When the violent energy of a volcano is unleashed, the results can be catastrophic. Lava flows, debris avalanches and explosive blasts have devastated communities. Noxious volcanic gas emissions have caused widespread lung problems. Airborne ash clouds from explosive eruptions have caused millions of dollars of aircraft damage and nearly brought down passenger flights.

Fortunately, volcanoes show signs of unrest hours, weeks and months before they erupt, and the USGS National Volcano Early Warning System is designed to detect these precursors. The USGS issues warnings and alerts of potential volcanic hazards – including ash fall forecasts – to responsible emergency-management authorities and those potentially affected. See current alerts and status for volcanoes in the United States.

Preparedness is increasingly important for the growing number of people that live, work, play and travel in volcanic regions. Learn more by visiting the USGS Volcano Hazards Program website and watching a video on USGS volcano science.

Landslides

Landslides occur in all 50 states and pose a risk to every citizen. Falling rocks, mudslides and debris flows can be deadly hazards, and we are still learning more about them. To protect communities from landslide hazards, USGS science is helping answer questions such as where, when and how often landslides occur, and how fast and far they might move.

For example, USGS scientists produce maps of areas susceptible to landslides and identify what sort of rainfall conditions will lead to such events. The USGS is working with the National Weather Service on a Debris Flow Warning System to help provide forecasts and warnings to inform community and emergency managers about what areas are at imminent risk of having a debris flow or mudslide.

The USGS plays an integral role in preparing for and responding to wildfires. The USGS provides tools and information before, during and after fire disasters to identify wildfire risks and reduce subsequent hazards, while providing real-time geospatial support for firefighters during the events. For example, the USGS provides fire managers with up-to-the minute maps and satellite imagery about current wildfire extent and behavior throughout the nation.

The wildfire itself is a hazard, but once the smoke clears, the danger is not over. Secondary effects of wildfires, including erosion, landslides, invasive species and changes in water quality, are often more disastrous than the fire itself. As fires are contained, USGS scientists help to assess their aftermath to guide the re-building of more resilient communities and restoration of ecosystems.

Flooding, Storms and Drought

The USGS conducts real-time monitoring of the nation’s rivers and streams, providing officials with critical information for flood warnings and drought mitigation. If you want to know whether river levels are higher or lower than normal, visit USGS WaterWatch. You can also use USGS WaterAlert to receive texts or emails when water levels at a specific streamgage exceed certain thresholds.

During floods, USGS scientists measure water levels, river velocities and high water marks. The USGS and the National Weather Service work together to make flood inundation maps that show you exactly where the water will be – what yards, roads and buildings will be covered – and when a river or stream reaches a certain water level.

The USGS also studies coastal vulnerability and change from hurricanes and extreme storms, helping inform flood forecasts and evacuation warnings. Before, during and after major hurricanes or tropical storms affecting the United States, the USGS assesses the likelihood of beach erosion, overwash or inundation. Scientists also measure storm surge and monitor water levels of inland rivers and streams.

Unlike flooding, droughts often take a long time to begin to impact an area, sometimes festering for months or even years. USGS science contributes to the national Drought Monitor, which is the official report detailing drought conditions, as well as the National Weather Service’s Drought Outlook, which forecasts future drought.

More Information

Flooding hit record highs in in North Dakota and many other areas of the U.S. in 2011. For more on the floods of 2011: http://gallery.usgs.gov/videos/439

The proposed USGS budget reflects research priorities to respond to nationally relevant issues, including water quantity and quality, ecosystem restoration, hydraulic fracturing, natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and support for the National Ocean Policy, and has a large R&D component.

Everyone is familiar with weather systems on earth like rain, wind and snow. But space weather – variable conditions in the space surrounding Earth – has important consequences for our lives inside Earth’s atmosphere.

A new geologic map of Lassen Volcanic National Park and vicinity has been created. The map area includes the entire Lassen Volcanic Center, parts of three older volcanic centers, and the products of regional volcanism.

To better understand and reduce tsunami hazards, USGS scientists examined sediment deposited by the tsunami in and around Sendai, Japan, as part of an international tsunami survey team organized by Japanese scientific cooperators.

New Zealand has experienced another damaging earthquake close to the city of Christchurch, which is still recovering from the magnitude-6.1 earthquake that struck in February. This latest quake has resulted in additional damage to buildings and infrastructure.

As hurricane season starts, researchers are modeling potential changes to
coastal environments to identify communities vulnerable to extreme erosion during storms. Data collected before and after storm landfall are used to verify past forecasts and improve future predictions.

The USGS and the National Weather Service have developed a new flood inundation map tool that enables management officials and residents to see where the potential threat of flooding is the highest along the Flint River near Albany, Georgia.

Volcanic eruptions have always been a part of human history; the American experience is no exception. On November 3rd, USGS’s Dr. John Eichelberger discusses new USGS programs which establish monitoring networks on all hazardous US volcanoes, to reduce the effects of volcanic hazards on communities.

Looking for information on natural resources, natural hazards, geospatial data, and more? The USGS Education site provides great resources, including lessons, data, maps, and more, to support teaching, learning, K-12 education, and university-level inquiry and research.

Flash flooding is one of the major causes of natural hazard-related deaths in the United States and is hard to predict, but data collected by the USGS is crucial to formulating better predictive models.

On Nov. 3, USGS scientists Patrick Barnard and William Ellsworth will present a public lecture in Menlo Park, CA, providing Bay Area residents information about USGS research in the San Francisco Bay Area, including recent discoveries beneath San Francisco Bay and ongoing studies to better understand earthquake probabilities and the potential hazards associated with strong ground shaking.